Bushwick’s Molasses Books Turns to Fundraising After Election Day

Bushwick-based Molasses Books owner, Matt Winn, like many New Yorkers, was upset that Donald Trump had won the presidency and worried for groups that will be impacted most by his presidency. He wrote via email that he initially responded to the news by joining in a protest held November 9, in which participants marched from Union Square to Trump Tower on 59th Street.

But following the election, he said, he took a trip to rural Florida to attend a family wedding where a majority of the guests were supporters of President-elect Trump. “Watching the protests from afar, I was anxious to get involved again but was also struck by how contained the protests felt when observing them from this other world,” Winn wrote.

Still eager to join the work being done in New York and fully in support of the ongoing protests, “I decided that what was more important to me was trying to consistently raise funds for the groups and communities that will continue to need support throughout the next four years.” And so he came up with a program he calls Molasses Rolling Support.

Ten percent of all bar and book sales, plus any extra donations made, will go to a different charity each Friday night. Some nights will also include book and zine releases or live DJ events, all of which will be advertised on the Molasses Books Instagram and Facebook page.

For now, Winn has selected charities for Fridays through December, though he said the program could go on indefinitely.

This Friday, donations will go to Standing Rock Sioux Tribe DAPL Fund. The first donation night coincides with the release of issue seven of a Bushwick-based art zine called Creeps.

On November 25, which is when Winn will also hold a birthday celebration, donations will go to Planned Parenthood.

In December, the American Immigration Council, Black Lives Matter, Southern Poverty Law Center, and American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee will receive donations. Winn noted that friends who are DJs or artists have volunteered to host events on upcoming Rolling Support nights.